Slate-cleaner



(Model.)

G. ELSEY. Slate Gleaner.

No. 231,482. Patented Aug. 24,1880.

mi2-Leases; w Invenaz; J'ym @52% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ELSEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

sLTE-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,482, dated August 24, 1880.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ELsEY, of Springfield, in the countyT of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slate-Cleaners; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled iu the art to which it pertains to make and Vuse the same, reference being .had -to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

Heretofore most erasers for slates and blackboards have been made with a soft material attached to a flat or plain surface. These are objectionable for the reason that if the soft material be fastened to the block with tacks or similar device the met-al is liable to come in contact with and scratch the surface being cleaned, and if the soft material be attached to the block with glue or cement the moisture will soon affect it. It has been found that the best results cannot be attained with an eraser having a flat surface. Erasers have also been made in which the edge of the soft material has been presented to the surface to be cleaned. In these, however, the edge of the soft material projects directly downward, and a pressure downward with the handle held perpendicularly does not cause the soft material to project outward, and thus prevent the hard edges of the holder coming in contact with the surface being cleaned it' the handle be canted to one side, and, again, with this construction the edges of the soft material are not forced outward and caused to project beyond the edge of the holder or block, so that the corners of the slate can be easily and readily cleaned.

The object of my invention is to produce a cheap, simple, and efficient device which shall do away with the objectionable features above enumerated. To that end, therefore, my invention consists in so constructing the block to which the soft material is attached that the tack or staple cannot come in contact with the surface being cleaned, and in so constructing the device that a spreading or flaring edge is presented, which edges project beyond and roll over the outer edges of the block, where- Application filed May '7, 1880.

(Model.)

by the corners of the slate may be easily cleaned and the edges of the block cannot come in con-4 tact with the surface being cleaned.

In the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is an end View of the block. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the staple or double-pointed tack, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my invention.

The manner of constructing my device is as follows: A block is provided having the side to which the soft material is to be attached grooved or hollowed, as shown in the drawings. The object of this groove is to enable me to attach a soft material to the block ,in such a way that the edges of the soft material are presented in a Haring or spreading position. This shape also enables me to fasten the soft material to the block with a tack, screw, or

staple in such a position that the meta-1 cannot come in contact with and scratch the surface being cleaned. The soft material is held iu place by the tack or staple, which is driven through the soft material into the block in the center of the hollow or groove. This hollow may be of the shape shown, or a V shape. The soft material should be cut so that the edges will project below the edges ofthe block. The placing of the soft material in such a hollow or groove causes the edges to project in a spreading or haring shape. With Vthe edges presented in this shape there is no tendency of the edges to curl inward and expose the edge of the block. This prevents the edges of the block coming in contact with the surface being cleaned when the eraser is held in a slanting position, as would be the case if the edge of the soft material projected directly downward; but this construction presents the soft material to the surface being cleaned in such a way that a downward pressure causes the edges to spread outward and project beyond the edges of the block, and these, reaching into the corners of the slate next the frame, enable the user to clean the whole surface of' the slate with facility.

The particular form or shape of the block above the surface to which the soft material is attached is not essential. 1t should, however, be of such`l a shape as to be conveniently grasped in theliingers. I nd a barbed staple IOO the best device to fasten the soft material to the wood.

It will readily be seen that an eraser may be made in which metal maybe substituted in Whole or in part for the wooden block herein described, and if' the shape of the part to which the soft material is attached is like the block described a similar result will be accomplished. I iind the best results are attained by using heavy Scotch felt for the soft material.

I do not claim, broadly, a soft material in combination with a holder so constructed that the edge comes in contact with the surface being cleaned; but my improvement consists in the special construction and adaptation.

I am aware of United States Letters Patent No. 223,612, dated January 13, A. D. 1880, and I claim nothing shown therein.

Having therefore described my invention, ze what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A slate-cleaner having the groove or hollow t, in which the soft material is secured in the manner described, whereby the edges of 25 the soft material project in a spreading or flaring position, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto atix my name, in the presence of two Wit- 3o ncsses, this 24th day of April, A. D. 1880.

\Vitnesses: GEORGE ELSEY.

I". M. STEDMAN, ALLEN WEBSTER. 

